Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Crofton

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether HS2 Ltd has made an assessment of the area that would potentially be affected by debris in the event of a high-speed incident at the point where HS2 will pass through Crofton.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The new high-speed railway will be designed to further improve standards of railway safety. The HS2 design includes numerous features that minimise the likelihood of a train accident and reduce its consequences. HS2 is implementing a modern signalling control system called the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) which includes an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) function. Such a system continuously monitors the speed of the train and if the route ahead is clear, braking the train if necessary. In addition to the signalling system, HS2 is systematically identifying the causes of all hazards that would cause a risk to the railway or from the railway onto the local population. This is following a process called the Common Safety Method for Risk Evaluation and Assessment. This analysis will ensure that the railway design minimises accidents by isolating the railway from danger and mitigating risks.

South Eastern Rail Franchise

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what targets his Department sets to measure the performance of the Southeastern rail franchise.

Joseph Johnson: The franchise agreement between the Government and each individual TOC includes benchmarks in three key areas – punctuality, cancellations and capacity. The Department monitors each train operator’s overall performance against these areas regularly and there are clear actions set out in the franchise agreement should performance drop below what is expected. Further details can be find in the franchise agreement under Schedule 7.1, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/london-and-south-eastern-railway-limited In terms of the future franchise, the Department set out its expectations in the Invitation To Tender which can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664302/south-eastern-franchise-itt.pdf

Railway Stations: Finance

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on securing funding for a third New Stations Fund.

Joseph Johnson: The first two rounds of the New Stations Fund have provided funding for 10 new stations. We continue to keep the case for a further round under review. Applications for any new funding would need a strong business case, support from the industry and must underwrite operational and maintenance costs for the first three years if these are not met by additional revenue. We have also launched a call for promoters to put forward creative, commercial ideas to enhance the railway and published ‘Guidance for Market-led Proposals’ to provide clarity on the types of projects we are looking for. Further details are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-market-led-proposals

Railways: Tickets

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on introducing a part-time season ticket for rail.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has received Parliamentary questions and correspondence from public and Parliamentarians about the introduction of part-time season tickets. We, of course, continue to challenge the rail industry to develop proposals for pricing and delivering more flexible ticketing options for those who work or commute part-time and progress is being made by the industry. c2c have a Flexi-Season on a smart card. Arriva Trains Wales have introduced a Mobile Multi-Flex product for customers in Cardiff and the surrounding areas. In addition both the recently announced South Western and West Midlands franchises include the announcement of a new flexible season ticket which will benefit people working fewer than 5 days a week.

A1237: York

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of dualling and upgrading the A1237 in York.

Jesse Norman: The A1237 is part of the local road network and any improvements are the responsibility of City of York Council. It is therefore for the City of York Council to consider the cost of dualling and upgrading the A1238 in York. The Council is currently developing a scheme to improve a number of roundabouts on the route, to be funded from the Local Growth Funding awarded to the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund.

Railways: Concessions

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to make a decision on the roll-out of the 26-30 railcard.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 22 March 2018, to the Hon Member for Tooting (Rosena Allin-Khan), UIN 133282.

Southern: Standards

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidences there were of station skipping on Southern Rail services in the last 18 months.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport does not keep information on the details of number of ‘station skipping’ incidents on the Southern network. Omitting scheduled station stops (‘station skipping’) is used as part of a strategy known as ‘service recovery’, the intention being to restore the service to timetable as quickly as possible following a problem. Services which miss stations en route are counted as punctuality failures in the published statistics. We expect the operator to make the correct operational decisions which balances the needs of passengers who are inconvenienced by taking stops out of service against the wider advantages to passengers to get services back on schedule as soon as possible.

Crossrail: Northfleet

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current safeguarding status in relation to Crossrail is of the land at Station house on the south side of Railway street, Northfleet, Kent, Title Number K972486.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport does not hold this information, nor does it manage enquiries about safeguarding along the route. More specific advice can be obtained by emailing a plan of the relevant site to Crossrail Limited at safeguarding@crossrail.co.uk. The safeguarded route between Abbey Wood and Hoo Junction, including the area around Northfleet, is available on Crossrail Limited’s website at http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/safeguarding/abbey-wood-to-hoo-junction.

Crossrail: Northfleet

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the safeguarding route for Crossrail in the area around Northfleet, Kent.

Joseph Johnson: The safeguarded route between Abbey Wood and Hoo Junction, including the area around Northfleet, is available on Crossrail Limited’s website at http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/safeguarding/abbey-wood-to-hoo-junction.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Life Sciences: North of England

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Northern Health Science Alliance on delivering a northern life sciences sector deal.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Holding answer received on 16 April 2018



As articulated within the Life Sciences Sector Deal published in December 2017, we have committed to working regionally with the established clusters of life science organisations including the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA), and my officials are working with them to progress this.

Life Sciences

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department proposes to develop a regional approach to implementing the recommendations of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, as outlined in the White Paper, Industrial Strategy: Building a Britain fit for the future, published on 27 November 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Holding answer received on 16 April 2018



Every region in the UK has a role to play in boosting the national economy, driven by local leadership and ambitious visions for the future. As stated in the Industrial Strategy: Life Sciences Sector Deal regional representatives from the Northern Health Science Alliance, MedCity, Life Sciences Hub Wales, NHS Research Scotland, Northern Ireland life sciences cluster and the GW4 Alliance have come together to welcome the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy.

Life Sciences

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to ensure the regions of the UK receive a proportional allocation of investments as part of the Government’s delivery of the Industrial Strategy: Life Sciences Sector Deal, published on 6 December 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Holding answer received on 16 April 2018



As highlighted in the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, the sector’s commercial activity is very broadly spread across the whole of the UK and there are a number of strong and emerging life sciences clusters that are well placed to attract investment. The Sector Deal highlighted successes around the UK in Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Glasgow, South Wales and the South East.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he discussed the cases of UK citizens facing execution in Saudi Arabia during his recent meetings with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Alistair Burt: ​We are unaware of any British national currently facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. We are made aware when a British national requires consular assistance only when notified by the authorities or by family members. In his recent meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Secretary raised human rights in Saudi Arabia.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps is his Department taking to improve the effectiveness of the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK is providing £1.3 million this financial year to the UN's Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate commercial shipping and assure the Coalition that weapons are not coming into Yemen on large commercial ships docking at the Red Sea ports. We have also deployed UK maritime experts to Djibouti to further boost the inspections process, and increase the proportion of ships physically inspected almost ten-fold (from 8 per cent to 77 per cent).

Uzbekistan: Religious Freedom

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Uzbekistan on freedom of religion.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Our Embassy in Tashkent regularly raises human rights issues, including individual cases, with the Uzbek authorities, and plays an active and visible part in human rights activities in Uzbekistan. We welcome the Uzbek government's commitment to review legislation on the registration of religious organisations and to adopt an action plan to implement the UNSR's recommendations, following the visit of Dr Ahmad Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on Freedom of Religion or Belief, to Uzbekistan in October last year.

Malaysia: Politics and Government

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the political situation in Malaysia in the run-up to general elections this year.

Mark Field: ​We continue to follow the political situation in Malaysia closely. During my visit to Kuala Lumpur last week, I heard about the recent changes to constituency boundaries and the passing of the Anti-Fake News Bill. I recognise that there are concerns related to both issues. The UK continues to stress the importance of free and fair elections and open and vibrant political debate. We have also encouraged Malaysia to invite external election observers, in advance of the 9 May election.

Malaysia: Elections

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect  of proposed electoral boundary changes in Malaysia on the veracity of the general election in that country.

Mark Field: ​On my visit to Malaysia last week, I heard about concerns related to the electoral boundary changes introduced by the Election Commission. We will be monitoring their impact, and have discussed the importance of free and fair elections with the Malaysian government at the highest levels.

Malaysia: Freedom of Expression

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in the Malaysian Government on the potential effect of proposed legislation to criminalise fake news on freedom of speech in that country.

Mark Field: ​The UK regularly highlights its firm commitment to freedom of speech and expression. I am concerned about the potential effect that the new Anti-Fake News Bill could have on freedom of expression in Malaysia, and about the fact that this Bill was passed without meaningful public consultation or debate. We are monitoring developments closely, working with EU and other foreign partners and stand ready to make any necessary representations.

Developing Countries: Sexual Offences

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department work on (a) the preventing sexual violence initiative and (b) the preventing sexual violence team of experts; and of those staff, how many are deployed overseas.

Harriett Baldwin: We have three staff working full time in London on the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI). The Team sits within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Gender Equality Unit, and additional staff from the unit dedicate a significant proportion of their time to PSVI. Furthermore, PSVI work is mainstreamed and taken forward by staff around our network of posts. They advance PSVI as part of a broader portfolio, including through our work on Women, Peace and Security, Girls' Education and wider human rights. This makes it very hard to establish the exact number of staff who work in some capacity on PSVI issuesThe UK’s PSVI Team of Experts (ToE) is one part of the Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG), a roster of external experts managed by the UK Government Stabilisation Unit. The CSG offer a skillset that is not available in the Civil Service. The ToE currently consists of 38 independent experts (26 women), including criminal lawyers, policing advisers, gender based violence experts, international investigating officers, training experts and psychosocial experts. In 2017, twenty experts were deployed to ten countries to provide training and mentoring to judges, prosecutors and members of the armed forces on gathering and preserving evidence of sexual violence, prosecution and protection of civilians. Additional expertise on gender issues is regularly deployed from the wider CSG.

Burundi: Human Rights and Rule of Law

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with his counterpart in Burundi on (a) human rights and (b) the rule of law in Burundi; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK remains extremely concerned by the human rights situation in Burundi, notably excessive use of deadly force, torture and sexual violence. Alongside our international partners, we continue to urge the Burundi government to bring an end to abuses, hold the perpetrators to account and uphold the rule of law. At the UN Human Rights Council in September, we supported the extension of the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights by another year. Our non-resident Ambassador and officials regularly visit for consultations with the Burundi Government; these discussions cover human rights, the rule of law and the importance of maintaining the principles of the 2000 Arusha Agreement, including the protection of minority groups in Burundi.

Peru: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the political situation in Peru following the resignation of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

Boris Johnson: We have been following the recent political events in Peru closely. The political situation has now stabilised and markets have not been substantially affected. The new President, Martin Vizcarra, and his cabinet have received broad political support. The UK has an excellent relationship with Peru, one that spans almost 200 years. We are close partners in a wide range of areas, including trade, science and innovation, education, and foreign policy. We remain committed to strengthening these ties further by working closely with the new government

Peru: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in the Peruvian Government on the decision to pardon former President Alberto Fujimori for human rights abuses during his tenure as President.

Boris Johnson: I have not discussed this specific case with my counterpart. The power to grant pardons is provided for by the Peruvian constitution. I note that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights is undertaking an independent investigation into the decision. We are clear that the rule of law must be respected.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many aircraft in the Syrian air force are capable of delivering chemical weapons.

Alistair Burt: Most of the fixed-wing and rotary aircraft in the Syrian air force are capable of delivering chemical weapons as well as conventional munitions. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) has found that regime aircraft have delivered chemical weapons on several occasions, including in the 4 April 2017 Khan Sheikhoun attack, which killed nearly one hundred people. Monitoring groups on the ground have also reported that chemical weapons have been delivered through barrel bombs, dropped from regime helicopters, including in the reported chemical attack in Douma on the 7 April 2018.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he as made of the capability of the Syrian armed forces to deliver chemical weapons other than by aircraft.

Alistair Burt: It is almost certain that the Syrian armed forces have the capability to deliver chemical weapons by means other than by aircraft. Syrian armed forces are known to have surface-to-surface missiles in their arsenal and therefore are very likely to be capable of delivering chemical weapons in this way.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that members of the Assad regime who have been involved military action against civilians in Syria are held to account.

Alistair Burt: The UK has a long-standing commitment to accountability for human rights violations and abuses in Syria. The Assad regime has committed terrible atrocities. The independent UN Commission of Inquiry has stated that the regime has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. In addition to the work of the UN Commission of Inquiry, we are supporting the international, impartial and independent mechanism, which was set up in 2016 to collect evidence of war crimes in Syria for future prosecutions. We have also funded non-government organisations to collect evidence on the ground in Syria for future prosecutions.

International Criminal Court

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the application of (a) sanctions and (b) other punitive measures in response to cases of (i) non-compliance and (ii) non-cooperation with the execution of International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants when the ICC refers such cases to the UN Security Council.

Boris Johnson: The Government's policy is to encourage States to comply with their international legal obligations to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), in particular with the execution of ICC arrest warrants. We pursue this policy through a range of fora, including the Security Council.The Government is deeply concerned that individuals indicted in relation to Darfur are still at large. At the ICC Assembly of States Parties last December the UK's delegation urged all States to honour UN Security Council Resolution 1593 and cooperate fully with the ICC and its Prosecutor. The Government will continue to work together with like-minded partners and the Court to encourage greater cooperation and compliance.The Government is confident that the ICC has the resources necessary to fulfil its mandate.

Darfur: Arrest Warrants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his UN Security Council counterparts and (b) the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on cases of (i) non-compliance and (ii) non-co-operation with the execution of outstanding ICC arrest warrants in relation to Darfur.

Boris Johnson: The Government's policy is to encourage States to comply with their international legal obligations to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), in particular with the execution of ICC arrest warrants. We pursue this policy through a range of fora, including the Security Council.The Government is deeply concerned that individuals indicted in relation to Darfur are still at large. At the ICC Assembly of States Parties last December the UK's delegation urged all States to honour UN Security Council Resolution 1593 and cooperate fully with the ICC and its Prosecutor. The Government will continue to work together with like-minded partners and the Court to encourage greater cooperation and compliance.The Government is confident that the ICC has the resources necessary to fulfil its mandate.

Darfur: International Criminal Court

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding available to the ICC to carry out its work in Darfur pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1593.

Boris Johnson: The Government's policy is to encourage States to comply with their international legal obligations to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), in particular with the execution of ICC arrest warrants. We pursue this policy through a range of fora, including the Security Council.The Government is deeply concerned that individuals indicted in relation to Darfur are still at large. At the ICC Assembly of States Parties last December the UK's delegation urged all States to honour UN Security Council Resolution 1593 and cooperate fully with the ICC and its Prosecutor. The Government will continue to work together with like-minded partners and the Court to encourage greater cooperation and compliance.The Government is confident that the ICC has the resources necessary to fulfil its mandate.

South Sudan: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to promote the imposition of a UN arms embargo on South Sudan.

Boris Johnson: We have consistently called for the imposition of a UN arms embargo with immediate effect. This would build on the EU arms embargo dating from 1994, and the US embargo announced in February of this year.We continue to encourage the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development to ensure that the consequences for those who seek to spoil the High Level Revitalisation Forum are clearly set out and effectively implemented.

Department of Health and Social Care

Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department provides guidance to NHS trusts on establishing one-stop shops for people with multiple medical conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The configuration of services for services for patients with multiple medical conditions is a local matter. In September 2016, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the best practice guideline, Multimorbidity: clinical assessment and management. This evidence-based guidance is designed to support clinicians and commissioners to optimise care for adults with multimorbidity (multiple long-term conditions) by reducing treatment burden (polypharmacy and multiple appointments) and unplanned care. Approaches to reducing multiple appointments may include providing more assessments at a single appointment. The NICE guideline can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng56

Sepsis: Babies and Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information is provided to new mothers on spotting the signs and symptoms of sepsis in young children and infants.

Caroline Dinenage: Public Health England (PHE) launched a sepsis campaign in partnership with the UK Sepsis Trust and the Department in December 2016. The campaign, which ran until April 2017, raised awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis amongst parents of young children and helped them know when to seek urgent medical help. Following the campaign PHE has continued to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis with significant developments in activity including building sepsis messaging into the national Start4life Information Service for Parents email programme which reaches 430,000 parents of zero to five year olds; distribution of leaflets and posters; and the provision of a content-rich social media toolkit for partners to use on their own channels. In addition, PHE are working in partnership with Mumsnet, a leading digital platform for parents, to raise awareness via editorial and social media promotion.

Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children had scalded skin syndrome in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: This information is not available.

Meningitis: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children (a) contracted and (b) died of meningitis B in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Steve Brine: Public Health England collects data on laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease which is a major cause of bacterial meningitis in England. This does not distinguish between invasive meningococcal disease presentation as meningitis or septicaemia. The number of invasive meningococcal B infections laboratory reports in England by age group and epidemiological year, 1998/99-2016/17 can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664857/Table_3_invasive_meningococcal_b_infections_lab_reports_England_by_agegroup_epiyear.pdf Data for 2016/17 are provisional. Data on the number of deaths from meningitis B are not collected in the format requested.

Rickets: Children and Young People

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of rickets among children and young people there were in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Brine: The information is not available in the format requested. We are able to provide a count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of rickets, tabulated by age between 0 and 18 for the financial years between 2007-08 and 2016-17. A finished admission episode or spell is defined as a continuous period of time spent as a patient within a trust, and may include more than one episode. This is shown in the following table: Age2007-082008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17029371920291513711101222325252822111519122113398134119312312313206441500023205001101021160021000202711010101118000010060191000020110101011000232110003021010121320100112131110020100140110021220151113010002161020010001174000001100181000010000Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital. Note: Validated but unpublished information on primary rickets diagnosis.

Obesity

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the public health responsibility deal on obesity rates among (a) adults and (b) children.

Steve Brine: No assessment of the effect of the public health responsibility deal on obesity rates has been made centrally.

Children: Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on measures to protect children from junk food marketing.

Steve Brine: My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on improving the health and wellbeing of children.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of junior doctors who work on average more than (i) 48, (ii) 56, (iii) 72 and (iv) 91 hours a week.

Stephen Barclay: The Department does not hold this information. It is the responsibility of employers to ensure that working hours comply with the limits in legislation and in contracts of employment. Under the new (2016) contract for doctors and dentists in training limits on working hours and patterns go beyond those in legislation. Average weekly hours are limited contractually to 48 (and to 56 where a doctor chooses to opt out of the Working Time Regulations). There is a contractual limit of 72 hours in any single week (compared to the 91 hours permissible within the legislation). There are also limits on shift length and the number of consecutive shifts (long shifts and night shifts); and requirements relating to minimum rest periods. Prior to the introduction of the contract, trusts reviewed all rotas to ensure compliance with these limits. The new contract also introduced a robust system of safeguards. Doctors can raise exception reports if their work varies significantly or regularly from that in their work schedule, either in terms of working patterns or educational opportunities. Each trust has a Guardian of Safe Working Hours responsible for reviewing the outcome of exception reports and addressing any concerns relating to hours worked. The Guardian is required to provide reports to the trust board at least once per quarter on all work schedule reviews relating to safe working hours, including data on all rota gaps on all shifts; and trusts are required to publish consolidated annual reports on rota gaps and the plan for improvement to reduce them. The Director of Medical Education is responsible for addressing concerns relating to educational issues and reporting to the trust board annually.

Spondyloarthritis

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the monitoring of individual Quality Statement measures in the NICE Quality Standard on Spondyloarthritis, to be published in June 2018.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standards are concise sets of statements designed to drive quality improvements within a particular area of care and cover the National Health Service, public health and social care. They are derived from the best available evidence, normally NICE guidance but also other sources of NICE-accredited guidance, and are developed by NICE in collaboration with health and social care professionals, their partners and service users. The Department does not have any arrangements for monitoring the uptake of NICE quality standards centrally as they are not mandatory, although health and care commissioners are expected to take them fully into account.

Arthritis

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the publication of the Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis Annual Report; and whether that report will include additional data collection for spondyloarthritis patients.

Steve Brine: In August 2017, a new three year Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). HQIP manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme on behalf of NHS England. The British Society for Rheumatology was awarded the contract to run the audit, which will assess the care provided by rheumatology services in England and Wales, and the health outcomes this achieves for people living with inflammatory arthritis conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. Building on the previous audit, which ran from 2014-16, it will provide more focused and precise data and employ real-time feedback to support local quality improvement. The audit is expected to launch in May this year, with first reports expected in the autumn of 2019. More information can be found at the following link: www.rheumatology.org.uk/Knowledge/Excellence/Audits

HIV Infection: Drugs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of places in the PrEP Impact Trial are currently filled.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for all sites participating in the PrEP Impact Trial to be live.

Steve Brine: Since opening in October 2017, the trial has recruited just over 5,400 participants, which represents 54% of the 10,000 places available nationally. Over 115 sites have been opened in the past six months and the remaining sites are actively preparing to open. The trial team, consisting of a dedicated trial manager at St Stephen’s Clinical Research as well as representatives from Public Health England that include sexual health clinicians and public health experts, is providing additional support with the intention that all participating clinics are live by the end of April 2018.

Chiropody

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2018 to Question 129467, if he will take steps to encourage podiatrists to seek leadership positions in foot protection services.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Health Service is committed to providing targeted development opportunities for staff through its range of leadership programmes delivered by the NHS Leadership Academy. These programmes encourage multi-professional representation at leadership level. Further information can be found at: https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/programmes/ Podiatrists are further encouraged to take up leadership positions by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance 19 to commissioners and providers, which states that the foot protection service should be led by a podiatrist. The NICE Clinical Guidance 19 can be found at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng19/resources/shared-learning Additionally, Health Education England (HEE) is working in partnership with the College of Podiatry and the profession to raise its confidence, capacity and the recognition of its contribution across all aspects of podiatry, which includes foot protection. Last year HEEworked with the College to raise the profile of the workforce including podiatrists in foot protection roles. Further information can be found at: https://www.improvingdiabeticfootcare.com/

Diabetes: Chiropody

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2018 to Question 129467, if he will mandate that the 2018 National Diabetes Footcare Audit commissioner survey includes questions on adherence to each aspect of NICE Clinical Guidance 19.

Steve Brine: Adherence to parts of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance 19 is assessed by the National Diabetes Foot Care Audit (NFDA) Care Structures Survey, which asks commissioners in England (National Health Service trusts) and Wales (local health boards) whether the following NICE-recommended care structures (NG19) are in place for the management of diabetic foot disease:- Training for routine diabetic foot examinations (Relating to NG19 recommendations 1.3.3-7);- An established Foot Protection Service pathway (Relating to NG19 recommendations 1.3.8); and- An established Foot Disease pathway for new referrals – if needed – for an assessment within 24 hours (Relating to NG19 recommendations 1.4.1-2). There are presently no plans to add questions to the NDFA Care Structures Survey. Notes:NG19: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng19NDFA: https://www.digital.nhs.uk/footcare

Diabetes: Chiropody

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2018 to Question 129469, what assessment he has made of the level of variation in practice since the publication of the NICE guideline of August 2015,  Diabetic foot problems: prevention and management.

Steve Brine: The Clinical Audit and Registries Management Service at NHS Digital publishes the following information relating to variations in practice in diabetic foot care: - The National Diabetes Foot Care Audit is a continuous audit of diabetic foot disease in England and Wales and is available at the following link: https://www.digital.nhs.uk/footcare - The National Diabetes Inpatient Audit is a snapshot audit of diabetes inpatient care in England and Wales and is available at the following link: https://www.digital.nhs.uk/diabetesinpatientaudit - The core National Diabetes Audit measures the effectiveness of diabetes healthcare against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical Guidelines and NICE Quality Standards, in England and Wales. The audit is available at the following link: https://www.digital.nhs.uk/nda

Mental Health Services: Children

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that children can access mental health care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: An additional £1.4 billion is being made available to transform children and young people’s mental health services. This additional funding will ensure 70,000 additional children and young people a year receive access to National Health Service specialist mental health services by 2020/21. The recent Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health, supported by £300 million of additional funding, will also improve access to mental health services for those children who need it. This includes the creation of new Mental Health Support Teams, which will deliver interventions in or close to schools and colleges for those experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues. The teams will also provide a link to specialist services and can refer children suffering with more severe issues on to such services. The piloting of a four week waiting time, also announced in the Green Paper, aims to ensure that children receive more timely access to the appropriate level of care, building on the expansion of services that is already underway.

Mental Health Services: Children

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for children's mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The recent Green Paper, Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision, includes a proposal to pilot a four week waiting time for access to specialist National Health Service children and young people’s mental health services. The new Mental Health Support Teams, a further announcement in the Green Paper, will also enable children and young people to access earlier help, and both the four week waiting time and the Mental Health Support Teams will be tested using trailblazer areas, operational from 2019, to understand what works. The Green Paper is supported by £300 million of funding, which is additional to the £1.4 billion being made available to transform children and young people’s services over 2015/16-2019/20. There are also two waiting time standards applicable to children and young people’s mental health which are already in place: the NHS is exceeding the target for the early intervention in psychosis standard and is on track to meet the target for the children’s eating disorder standard by 2020/21.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to improve out-of-school mental health support for children and young people.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The additional £1.4 billion being made available from 2015/16 to 2019/20 to transform children and young people’s mental health services will ensure that 70,000 additional children and young people a year receive access to National Health Service specialist mental health services, outside of the school setting, by 2020/21. This national programme of work will also support local areas, including the extension and expansion of the use of evidence-based interventions, tackling stigma, improving data and information to inform greater transparency and accountability and developing a specialist and stronger workforce. In 2015/16, local transformation plans were also put in place, covering every clinical commissioning group area in England. These set out how local agencies will work together to improve children’s mental health across the full spectrum of need and are refreshed annually. The proposals set out in “Transforming Mental Health provision for children and young people: a green paper”, published in December 2017, aim to increase support for young people not only in, but also near schools and colleges, including those who do not attend mainstream schools or are not in full time education. These proposals include new Mental Health Support Teams to help young people, and piloting a four week waiting time standard for quicker access to NHS mental health services.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to establish waiting time targets for (a) elective surgery and (b) A&E waiting times.

Stephen Barclay: Patient access standards are already established for routine consultant-led elective surgery referrals and for accident and emergency (A&E) waiting times. These are described in The Handbook to The NHS Constitution which states patients have the right to start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral for non-urgent conditions and a pledge that there should be a maximum four-hour wait in A&E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. The Handbook is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supplements-to-the-nhs-constitution-for-england

Genito-urinary Medicine: Clinics

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the trends in the (a) availability of sexual health clinics and (b) waiting times for appointments to see clinicians in those clinics.

Steve Brine: The Government has mandated local authorities to commission comprehensive open access sexual health services, including free sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, notification of sexual partners of infected persons and free provision of contraception. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning sexual health clinics based on local population need. The location and opening times of sexual health clinics are for local determination.

Electronic Cigarettes

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the use of electronic vaping devices on smoker mortality levels.

Steve Brine: The Department has been clear that for smokers, quitting smoking completely is the best way to improve health. E-cigarettes are not risk free. However evidence continues to suggest that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than cigarettes and can aid in helping smokers to quit. Given that e-cigarettes are a relatively new product, there is no long term data available regarding the impact on mortality rates of smokers who opt to move to vaping as an alternative. The Department will continue to work with Public Health England (PHE) to monitor the evidence base around e-cigarettes. In the Tobacco Control Plan, published in July 2017, PHE committed to update their evidence report on e-cigarettes and other novel nicotine delivery systems annually until the end of the Parliament in 2022.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: North West

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of putting in place a single management team to run the Halton Clinical Commissioning Group and Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 132573 on Halton Clinical Commissioning Group, how many additional hours the interim Chief Officer for that Clinical Commissioning Group works each week.

Steve Brine: Dr Andrew Davies, Chief Clinical Officer at Warrington and Halton NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) , is currently undertaking an assessment for a proposed single management team. Following this review, a report of the preliminary findings will be presented to the audit committees of both Halton and Warrington CCGs in April for discussion and decision. The Clinical Chief Officer is contracted to work 37.5 hours per week. The CCG does not record actual hours worked.

General Practitioners: Rural Areas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on recruiting additional GPs in rural locations.

Steve Brine: The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract general practitioner (GP) trainees to work in areas of the country where GP training places have been unfilled for a number of years. The scheme was launched as a one-year pilot in 2016 and was extended for a further year in 2017 and again in 2018. The scheme is open to GP trainees committed to working for three years in areas identified by the GP National Recruitment Office as having the hardest to recruit to training places in England. At the end of January 2018, 238 GP trainee vacancies were filled, of which, 105 trainees entered the scheme in its first year in 2016, and a further 133 entered the scheme in 2017. The fill rate increased from 86% in 2016 to 92% in 2017. 250 places are being made available in 2018. In addition, NHS England are working with partners such as Health Education England, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of GPs, and the General Medical Council, on International GP Recruitment. The programme was extended in August 2017, and will now aim to recruit at least 2,000 GPs into England from overseas by 2020. Recruitment is now underway in a number of areas across England, including in rural communities. NHS England has also provided funding to increase the number of GP training places in England each year to 3,250 and invested additional resources to attract former GPs back to practice. Both of these initiatives will support rural communities by building the overall GP workforce. At the same time, NHS England is supporting rural practices by building the wider general practice workforce, including significant investment in other patient facing roles such as clinical pharmacists and practice nurses. NHS England’s expectation is that these programmes, in conjunction with the range of other initiatives being delivered as part of the General Practice Forward View, will help alleviate some of the pressures that general practices currently face.

Sickle Cell Diseases

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of treating sickle cell anaemia.

Steve Brine: The most recent figures from an NHS England annual collection exercise estimated that the expenditure to treat patients with sickle cell disease, including anaemias, was approximately £41.6 million for 2015/16 and £41.5 million for 2016/17. The value for 2017/18 is not yet available.

Heart Diseases

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce waiting times for the treatment of chronic heart disease.

Steve Brine: NHS England and NHS Improvement have published planning guidance for 2018/19 which sets out the steps that need to be taken across the National Health Service over the coming year to reduce waiting times. This confirms that allocations for clinical commissioning groups in 2018/19 will enable an increase in elective procedures and a reduction in the number of patients waiting for over 52 weeks. NHS England collects and publishes monthly referral to treatment data which are used to monitor NHS waiting times performance against the standards set out in the National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations. This information is used to direct interventions at a local, regional and national level where needed.

Parkinson's Disease

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent from the public purse on the prescription of drugs to manage Parkinson's disease in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The Net Ingredient Cost of drugs prescribed and dispensed in primary care under British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.9: Drugs used in parkinsonism and related disorders, split by BNF paragraph for each of the last five years is as follows: YearBNF 4.9: Drugs used in parkinsonism and related disorders (£s)of whichBNF 4.9.1: Dopaminergic drugs used in parkinson’s (£s)BNF 4.9.2: Antimuscarinic drugs used in parkinsonism (£s)BNF 4.9.3: Essential tremor, chorea, tics and related disorders (£s)2013104,719,78994,581,4275,804,6994,333,6622014105,832,05096,847,9146,015,4872,968,6482015111,693,675101,840,9377,230,8872,621,8512016122,804,497103,428,22416,917,6322,458,6412017114,045,03499,357,66312,343,5152,343,856Source: Prescription Cost Analysis

Drugs

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what savings have been accrued to the public purse as a result of managed access agreements for new medicines since 2016.

Steve Brine: The Department has made no estimate of savings generated across all agreements. NHS England estimate that in the period from 31 July 2016 to 31 March 2018, Managed Access Agreements for 15 drug indications put in place as part of the Cancer Drugs Fund have collectively generated approximately £41 million of discounts when compared with the price originally offered by companies. It is also estimated by NHS England that savings to the overall National Health Service budget arising from similar recent agreements is in excess of £50 million per year.

Meningitis

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) meningitis cases and (b) fatalities as a result of meningitis in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: Data are not collected in the format requested.

Defibrillators: Yorkshire and the Humber

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of publicly accessible defibrillators in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Steve Brine: The Department does not hold up to date information on the number of Public Access Defibrillators. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) funded a project to determine if it was feasible and affordable to establish a national database of Public Access Defibrillators and to make this available to ambulance services. The project concluded it was feasible and the BHF has now committed the funds to implement the database and has identified an ambulance service to be the lead organisation helping the development of this database, which will be offered to all services once shown to be safe and effective.

NHS: Fraud

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other medical professionals, (d) directors of NHS trusts and (e) other NHS staff have been prosecuted following an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority since that authority was established.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prosecutions there have been following an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority since that authority was established; and how many of those prosecutions have been for offences related to (a) fraud, (b) violence, (c) bribery, (d) corruption, (e) criminal damage, (f) theft, (g) market-fixing and (h) other unlawful action.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times the NHS Counter Fraud Authority has taken (a) disciplinary proceedings and (b) civil proceedings against NHS staff for fraud or corruption since that authority was established.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many providers the NHS Counter Fraud Authority has quality assessed against fraud, bribery and corruption standards since the authority was established; and how many such providers NHS Protect has found to be performing below those standards.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money has been (a) restrained and (b) confiscated by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority since 1 November 2017.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Table 1 on page 5 of the NHS Protect document, Payroll fraud: guidance for prevention, detection and investigation, published in June 2015, if he will provide a breakdown of the main NHS payroll fraud categories for each financial year since 2009-10.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 40070, what the budget for (a) NHS Protect was in (i) 2016-17 and (ii) 2017-18 and (b) the NHS Counter Fraud Authority in 2017/18.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer to of 13 June 2016 to Question 40071, how many staff were employed by (a) NHS Protect in (i) 2016-17 and (ii) 2017-18 and (b) the NHS Counter Fraud Authority in 2017/18; and how many of those were employed staff as investigators.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many investigations the NHS Counter Fraud Authority has commenced into directors of NHS Trusts (a) nationally and (b) in Yorkshire since it was set up; and how many of those investigations are ongoing.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) was established on 1 November 2017 and is a new special health authority with a remit to identify, investigate and prevent fraud, bribery and corruption across the National Health Service. The NHSCFA has successfully undertaken one prosecution of fraud against a non-medical, non-managerial NHS member of staff. The NHSCFA does not undertake disciplinary proceedings against NHS staff, this is a matter for the employing NHS organisation. Where lawful, the NHSCFA may provide NHS organisations with material obtained during an investigation for this purpose. The NHSCFA has not undertaken any civil proceedings against NHS staff since it was established. NHS Protect ceased to exist on the creation of the NHSCFA. Since 1 November 2017 the NHSCFA has assessed nine providers against elements of the NHSCFA Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Standards and has found that all required further action in order to fully comply with those Standards. Since it was established the NHSCFA has restrained £31,109 and confiscated £38,913. The NHSCFA has not commenced any new investigations into directors of NHS trusts nationally or in Yorkshire since it was established. Information on the main NHS payroll fraud categories the NHS Protect and NHS Counter Fraud Authority budget and the number of employed investigators is in the attached tables.



PQ135143-151 attached tables
(Word Document, 23.81 KB)

Care Homes: Yorkshire and the Humber

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of incidents of patient-on-patient abuse in care homes in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not centrally held.

Lung Cancer

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out the members of NHS England's Clinical Expert Group for lung cancer.

Steve Brine: The membership of the Clinical Expert Group (CEG) for Lung Cancer is listed below and publicly available on the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation website. It will also be published on NHS England’s website shortly. Lung Cancer Clinical Expert Group membership Prof David Baldwin Respiratory Physician, East Midlands / Lung Cancer CEG ChairProf Sam Janes Chest Physician and Scientist, Early Detection, London / Lung Cancer CEG Vice ChairMrs Diana Borthwick Clinical Nurse Specialist in Lung Cancer / former Chair of National Lung Cancer Forum for NursesDr Julie Hendry Respiratory Physician, Merseyside and Cheshire Cancer NetworkDr David Gilligan Clinical Oncologist, East of EnglandDr Andrew Bates Clinical Oncologist, SouthamptonDr Anand Devaraj Thoracic Radiologist, LondonMrs Sue Maughn Commissioning Director-Cancer, East London Health and Care PartnershipDr Amelia Randle General Practitioner The Park Surgery, Shepton Mallet / Clinical Lead Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire Cancer AllianceDr Paul Cane Consultant Histopathologist, LondonProf Denis Talbot Professor of Cancer Medicine, University of Oxford, Thames Valley Cancer NetworkDr Imran Husain Consultant Respiratory Physician, West MidlandsDr Sanjay Popat Consultant Medical Oncologist, Royal Marsden HospitalDr Yvonne Summers Medical Oncologist, The Christie and University Hospital of South Manchester, ManchesterDr Andrew Wilcock Clinical Reader in Palliative Medicine and Medical Oncology, NottinghamMr Martin Grange Patient Representative, HampshireMrs Michele McMahon Patient Representative, LiverpoolMrs Janette Rawlinson Patient Representative, West Midlands / European Lung Foundation Lung cancer patient advisory group / National Cancer Research Institute Clinical Studies Group (lung cancer) consumer member / British Thoracic Oncology Group steering committee member, Cancer Research UK SMP board member (patient representative) / Lay member Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning GroupDr Robert Rintoul Reader in Thoracic Oncology, University of Cambridge / Honorary Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Papworth Hospital, CambridgeDr Jeremy Killen Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, North of EnglandDr Sion Barnard Thoracic Surgeon / Society of Cardiothoracic SurgeonsMr Doug West Consultant Thoracic Surgeon, BristolDr Neil Bayman Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Greater ManchesterMrs Barbara Gill Programme Lead Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate (ACE), NHS England / Cancer Research UKDr Vytis Dudzevicius Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, London / Lung multidisciplinary team Lead and Lung Cancer Lead ClinicianMrs Vanessa Beattie Clinical Nurse Specialist in Lung Cancer / National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses ChairMrs Karen Clayton Macmillan Lung Cancer Lead Nurse, East Cheshire NHS Trust / National Lung Cancer Forum for NursesDr Matthew Evison Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Manchester / Director of the Lung Pathway Board for Greater Manchester CancerDr Ian Woolhouse Respiratory Physician, Chair of West Midlands Lung Expert Advisory Group The National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway was developed with the assistance of further expert clinicians: Dr Sadia Anwar Consultant Respiratory Physician, NottinghamDr Matthew Callister Consultant Respiratory Physician, LeedsDr Paul Beckett Consultant Respiratory Physician, DerbyProf Mick Peake Consultant and Senior Lecturer in Respiratory Medicine / National Clinical Lead, NHS Cancer Improvement/ Clinical Lead, National Cancer Intelligence Network

Sapropterin

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects NHS England and NICE to make a decision on licensing Kuvan for the treatment of phenylketonuria

Steve Brine: NHS England has received a Preliminary Policy Proposal for the use of Sapropterin in the management of phenylketonuria for adults and children, as it is considered by the Clinical Lead that new evidence has now been published to support its use. This was considered by the Specialised Services Clinical Panel where it was agreed that, as this is a licensed medicine, it should be referred to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for consideration through its technology appraisal process. NICE has confirmed receipt of referral and will be advising on the decision making process and timetable in due course.

Lung Cancer

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out recent advice and guidance provided by NHS England's Clinical Expert Group on the early detection and diagnosis of lung cancer.

Steve Brine: The Clinical Expert Group for Lung Cancer published three documents in 2017/18, and also provided clinical advice for the development of a handbook to support delivery of best practice lung cancer pathways. Details of the documents and handbook are provided below.- National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway (2017);- National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway Implementation Guide (2017);- Clinical Advice for the Provision of Lung Cancer Services (2017); and- Handbook: Implementing a timed lung cancer diagnostic pathway (2018).

Department for Education

Apprentices

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the equity of the procurement process for funding new apprenticeship training schemes in colleges and schools.

Anne Milton: The procurement to deliver apprenticeship training to non-levy paying employers was managed in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. All providers on the main route of the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers were eligible to bid. The full awarding methodology was set out in procurement documents in the Evaluation Guidance.

Family Hubs

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to work with (a) voluntary and (b) private sector partners to deliver Family Hubs.

Nadhim Zahawi: We welcome the development of family hubs. We know that many areas are already moving towards this model of support for children and families. It is ultimately up to local councils to decide how to organise and commission services in their areas, including how these can be delivered in partnership with voluntary and private sector organisations. Local councils are best placed to understand local needs and how best to meet them, and they should be the ones to determine how to deliver services to children and families in their area.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 17 of the National Security Capabilities Review, what estimate he has made of the minimum size of the armed forces required to deliver Joint Force 2025.

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 16 April 2018



Joint Force 2025 is defined in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. There is no prescribed minimum number of personnel or platforms required to deliver the outputs that this force is designed to achieve.Our Armed Forces are fulfilling all their commitments across the globe, and this Government will ensure that they can continue to do so.

Burma: Military Exercises

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason British military personnel participated in the Cobra Gold joint military exercise to which members of the Myanmar military also attended.

Mark Lancaster: The UK provided two staff officers to support the execution of a Multinational deployment plan during the Command Post Exercise of Exercise COBRA GOLD 2018. This was on the specific invitation of the event organisers - the Royal Thai Armed Forces and US Pacific Command - and was in support of our ongoing Defence Engagement programme with Thailand.We understand that Myanmar was offered three places for non-participating observers for the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief phase of the exercise.

Burma: Military Exercises

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he made representations to seek to prevent the (a) attendance and (b) participation of members of the Myanmar military at the Cobra Gold joint military exercise in February 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: COBRA GOLD is not a UK-led exercise and thus decisions about invitees are not for the UK. We understand that Myanmar was offered three places for non-participating observers for the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief phase of the exercise. The Defence Secretary did not make any representations pertaining to Myanmar's attendance as non-participating observers.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many presenting officers have been recruited to represent his Department at tribunal appeals against the refusal of disability benefit in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 January 2018.The correct answer should have been:

While the Department has had presenting officers in the past, 2017 was the first time that individuals were recruited specifically into that role. Therefore there are no other specific recruitment to the presenting officer role in the years prior to 2017 for ESA and PIP.In 2017 DWP recruited 211 presenting officers.

Sarah Newton: While the Department has had presenting officers in the past, 2017 was the first time that individuals were recruited specifically into that role. Therefore there are no other specific recruitment to the presenting officer role in the years prior to 2017 for ESA and PIP.In 2017 DWP recruited 211 presenting officers.

Home Office

Armed Conflict: British Nationals Abroad

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is Government policy that UK citizens who are suspected of committing criminal offences while fighting abroad will be dealt with by UK courts.

Mr Ben Wallace: Where there is evidence that crimes have been committed, foreign fighters should be brought to justice in accordance with due legal process. The UK takes extra-territorial jurisdiction for most terrorism offences, so that we are able to prosecute people in the UK for terrorism activity undertaken overseas if this is appropriate. There are also other criminal offences, including murder, for which the UK takes extra-territorial jurisdiction. Criminal investigations and decisions to prosecute depend on the circumstances of each individual case and are a matter for the police and CPS. There will be occasions where evidence against suspects means that the most appropriate jurisdiction to prosecute is not the UK in which case UK law enforcement will assist when required, subject to a range of safeguards.

Cabinet Office

National Democracy Week: Scotland

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the timing of National Democracy Week to avoid it coinciding with the school holidays in Scotland; and what steps he is taking to ensure that school children in Scotland are able to take part in that event.

Chloe Smith: National Democracy Week will take place from 2-8 July 2018 to coincide with the 90th anniversary of equal voting rights for women. It will provide a focal point for democratic engagement amongst all under-registered groups. Materials to support National Democracy Week and democratic engagement as part of the suffrage centenary will be suitable for use across the UK throughout 2018 and beyond, for use with a wide-range of audiences, not only young people.

National Security Capability Review

Nia Griffith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Defence of 20 March 2018, Official Report [HL], column 20GC, whether the Government plans to publish the National Security Capability Review at Easter 2018.

Mr David Lidington: The NSCR was published on Wednesday 28 March. The Prime Minister made a Written Ministerial Statement and the document is available on gov.uk: (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-capability-review-nscr).

Treasury

Revenue and Customs: Staff

David Linden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff employed by HMRC are working on the development of the Customs Declaration Service due for roll-out in August 2018.

Mel Stride: The Customs Declaration Service (CDS) is a top priority programme within government and HMRC receives the support it needs. HMRC is on track to deliver CDS by January 2019, and it will begin to transition businesses from the current Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) service to CDS from August 2018. HMRC manages CDS very closely and has prioritised its delivery for Day 1 of EU exit. HMRC has the capability required to deliver the programme and this capability is continuously reviewed.

Overseas Trade

Nigel Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer , what information the Government holds on the proportion of outward trade flows from UK ports which represents goods which originated from outside the UK in each of the last five years; and if he will publish that information by (a) country of origin and (b) sector.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are responsible for the collection and publication of data on UK imports and exports of goods. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade Statistics. HMRC do not collect information about the country of origin of goods when they are exported from the UK.

Income Tax

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2018 to Question 133309, how much income tax was paid by people who fall under the jurisdiction of HMRC’s high net worth unit in each year between 2000 and 2009.

Mel Stride: The High Net Worth Unit (HNWU) became operational in April 2009. It is therefore not possible to provide figures for the income tax paid by those who became HNWU customers as we do not have access to accurate data from management systems prior to that period.

Child Care Vouchers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Education of 13 March 2018, Official Report, Column 802, on what date in October 2018 the childcare vouchers scheme will close to new applicants.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the honourable member to the written statement I made on 29 March 2018: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-29/HCWS616/

Welfare Tax Credits

Alex Sobel: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to simplify the process of applying for tax credits for (a) self employed people and (b) those with portfolio careers.

Elizabeth Truss: HMRC regularly reviews its processes, simplifying them wherever possible whilst remaining within the relevant legislation. HMRC undertakes activities to support Self Assessment customers who claim Tax Credits to ensure they get their entitlement right, including prompts to ensure they correctly report all necessary information in Self Assessment returns. There are no separate processes for ‘portfolio workers’; their claims are handled in the same way as other workers.

Economic Growth

Andrew Bowie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to meet with representatives of the Scottish Government to discuss economic growth in (a) Scotland and (b) UK.

Mel Stride: HM Treasury regularly engages with Scottish Government ministers through a number of forums, including the Finance Ministers’ Quadrilateral and the Joint Exchequer Committee process. The UK Government is committed to delivering economic growth across the UK. At Autumn Budget 2017, Scotland benefitted from a £2 billion boost to the Scottish Government’s budget and further targeted support. This included introducing a Transferable Tax History mechanism, which will encourage new investment in the oil industry, and opening negotiations for a Borderlands Growth Deal. The Prime Minister also recently announced the UK Government would formally begin talks for an Ayrshire Growth Deal. To date, the UK Government has committed almost £1 billion to Scottish City Deals and will continue to support the Tay Cities and Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Deals announced at Spring Budget 2017.

Taxation

Andrew Bowie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the taxation policies of the (a) Government and (b) Scottish Government on economic growth.

Mel Stride: The Scottish Government has had control over all rates and thresholds of non-savings, non-dividends income tax in Scotland since April 2017. It is for the Scottish Government to decide how to use their tax powers to support the Scottish economy. This Government will continue to operate a balanced approach between returning the public finances to a sustainable position while helping households and businesses, supporting our world class public services, and investing in Britain’s future. This has allowed us to cut the corporation tax to the lowest in the G20 and raise the personal allowance, saving a typical basic rate taxpayer over £1000 a year compared to 2010, and taking 1.2 million people out of income tax altogether. This has supported the strong economy: the deficit has been cut by three quarters from its peak and there are over 3 million more people in employment since 2010.

Low Incomes: Families

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to remove financial disincentives for people on low incomes to form lasting couple relationships.

Mel Stride: The government is fully committed to helping families stay together, and introduced the Marriage Allowance in 2015 to recognise marriage through the tax system. Marriage Allowance allows taxpayers to transfer 10% of their tax free personal allowance to a spouse or civil partner, and is worth up to £238 per year. At Autumn Budget we further extended Marriage Allowance, so that personal representatives can apply on behalf of deceased partners.

Married People: Tax Allowances

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase uptake of the marriage allowance.

Mel Stride: Marriage Allowance was introduced in April 2015, to recognise the importance of marriage in the tax system, and support those on low incomes by helping them keep more of the money they earn. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) ran a number of advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the savings Marriage Allowance can bring to eligible couples. The first campaign ran between October 2015 to March 2016, and the second between November 2016 to March 2017. A variety of channels were used including press, radio adverts, and digital advertising. 2.8 million couples have successfully claimed Marriage Allowance since its introduction. In 2018-19, eligible couples can receive a tax reduction of £238, or £900 if they make a backdated claim to 2015-16. Couples who have yet to claim will not lose out as they have until 5 April 2020 to backdate it. Marriage Allowance can be claimed through the personal tax account, on the GOV.UK website, or by telephone to HMRC.

Tax Evasion: Convictions

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases referred to prosecuting authorities by HMRC on serious and complex tax crime by wealthy individuals have concluded with a criminal conviction since 2010.

Mel Stride: HMRC does not hold comprehensive records of criminal convictions of wealthy individuals prior to 2015. The number of wealthy individuals that have received a criminal conviction for serious and complex tax crime since 2015 is 27. In April 2017, HMRC brought together their High Net Worth Unit and Affluent teams to form a single team classified as the Wealthy Unit. This organisational change is targeted at promoting tax compliance and tackling non-compliance across the whole of the wealthy customer group. These changes will ensure HMRC deploy their specialist, highly skilled resource on those wealthy individuals that present the highest compliance risk. HMRC is committed to ensuring all individuals, including the wealthy, pay the correct tax when it’s due, and pursues those who fail to meet their tax obligations. HMRC’s dedicated Wealthy Unit works closely with teams across HMRC to tackle all forms of non-compliance effectively. Where there is evidence of criminality, HMRC will not hesitate to investigate those involved with a view to prosecution. HMRC has a strong track record of tackling those who have evaded their responsibilities, or those who have facilitated tax evasion, and is successful in over 90% of prosecutions. HMRC is not itself a prosecuting authority. All prosecutions have to be authorised by the relevant independent prosecuting authority, which for England and Wales would be the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS); for Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS); and for NI, the Public Prosecution Service for NI (PPSNI).

Tax Evasion: Criminal Investigation

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many criminal investigations HMRC opened into serious and complex tax crimes in each year since 2010.

Mel Stride: The case categorisation ‘serious and complex’ was introduced in Summer Budget 2015. Therefore, comprehensive records for criminal investigations opened into serious and complex tax crime prior to the financial year 2016/17 are not available. The number of criminal investigations into individuals in the ‘serious and complex’ category that commenced in the following years is: 2017/18 - 882016/17 - 83 During a criminal investigation HMRC gathers evidence to ascertain whether the individual should be charged with an offence, or the individual charged with an offence is guilty of it. However, HMRC is not a prosecuting authority. If the evidence supports a criminal charge the case is presented to the relevant prosecuting authority, which for England and Wales would be the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS); for Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS); and for NI, the Public Prosecution Service for NI (PPSNI).

Carillion: Insolvency

Mike Amesbury: What effect the liquidation of Carillion has had on his Department’s policy on public sector contracts and the private finance initiative.

Elizabeth Truss: When Carillion went into liquidation we made sure public services kept running and we did not bail out any private sector contractors. We did not reward failure.

Infrastructure

Anna McMorrin: What assessment his Department has made of the effect of its planned investment in infrastructure on the environment.

Andrew Jones: This government is committed to being the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited, as set out in our 25 year Environment Plan. On infrastructure, we will spend over £1bn per year by 2020 through the Renewable Heat Incentive to support renewable and low-carbon heating. And, on transport, we are investing £1bn in supporting the take up of low emission vehicles and £48bn on rail infrastructure between 2019 and 2024 to take polluting cars and lorries off our roads.

Business: Government Assistance

Robert Courts: What steps he is taking to support businesses and strengthen the market economy.

John Glen: This government aims to create an environment to help businesses to succeed. We are keeping taxes low, and ensuring firms can access the skills and support they need. We have cut corporation tax to 19%, the lowest rate in the G20, and are developing a National Retraining Scheme so we are ready to seize opportunities in the new economy. It is through measures like these, and the power of a vibrant and competitive market economy, that we will further drive growth and prosperity, encourage innovation and help raise living standards across the UK

Productivity

Stephen Metcalfe: What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing productivity through the development and deployment of new technologies.

Andrew Jones: Treasury ministers regularly discuss the opportunities of new technologies with Cabinet colleagues. To boost research into and development of new technologies, we have increased support for in R&D to the highest level in 30 years (probably ever) through raising investment and increasing the main rate of R&D tax credits. At Budget, we committed over £75 million to support the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the UK, which has immense potential to increase productivity.

NHS: Finance

Tonia Antoniazzi: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on funding for the NHS.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government provided £6.3 billion of new funding to the NHS at the Budget – and has since made available an additional £4 billion for a new pay deal for 1.2 million NHS staff, including nurses.

Average Earnings

Mr Marcus Jones: What assessment his Department has made of the effect on working people of the increase in real wages projected by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

John Glen: The Government welcome the fact that the OBR forecast real wages to increase in 2018, and to continue growing in every year of this parliament. The Government is taking action to support incomes by increasing the National Living Wage, raising the personal allowance and freezing fuel duty.